The Orioles lost out on their second free-agent player in a span of hours Friday afternoon when outfielder Nate McLouth agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Washington Nationals pending a physical, according to an industry source.

The Orioles wanted to re-sign both players, but with the free-agency money flying, the club will now be forced to go elsewhere to fill their needs.

The Orioles were able to re-sign the McLouth to a one-year, $2 million deal last year during the winter meetings. After he hit .258/.329/.399 with 31 doubles, 12 homers, 36 RBIs and 30 stolen bases this season, it became apparent the Orioles would likely need to make at least a two-year commitment to keep McLouth in Baltimore.

Being unable to sign McLouth hurts in general, but it is especially stinging to lose out on him to the regional rival Nationals. McLouth will likely be a fourth outfielder in Washington, but he can fill in at all three outfield positions.

A pitcher who could have possibly replaced Jim Johnson as the Orioles' closer came off the board on Thursday when the Boston Red Sox signed former St. Louis Cardinals reliever Edward Mujica to a two-year, $9.5-million deal.

Spring training is about five weeks from now. The Orioles have made several small changes to their 40-man roster so far this offseason, but they'll likely make more moves by the time pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 13. As we inch closer to the start of spring training,...